Dela
by SnowFire13
Summary: A a performance camp, the prize at the end of the summer is a career of dreams. Failure is not an option...and there are so many ways to fail...even love. Sora/Riku, Leon/Cloud, Roxas/Axel SLASH.


Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. None of the characters are mine, I just like playing with them. Story contains SLASH. Please don't read if you don't like.

0 0 0

"You'll have to eat more than that."

Roxas Hikari made a face as a plate of eggs, slices of ham and toast slid into his line of sight. He yawned and looked up slowly, picking up his energy drink and taking a long swallow. "I'm on vacation. I don't have to do anything." His sky blue eyes narrowed onto his older brother. "You're awfully cheerful this morning."

"And by that, he means that you're actually smiling instead of brooding." Aeris Rawlins set a plate down beside Roxas' and smiled warmly at both brothers. "I'm actually surprised to see you awake, Roxas. You usually sleep until noon on vacations."

Roxas looked moodily at his plate and picked half-heartedly at the toast but managed a smile for his brother's partner. While he didn't particularly want company, nobody was rude to Aeris, not even him. She had this way about her quiet, caring nature that made a person feel like an asshole the minute that he realized what he had said to her. "Sora was up at six." He complained. "Six. On VACATION." He stabbed a piece of ham, imagining his twin brother's face beneath his fork. "Didn't anyone tell Sora what the word VACATION meant?"

Cloud snorted, polishing off his breakfast with the same single-minded efficiency that he did everything else. "He's aware of what the word means." He replied dryly. "And all that means in Sora-speak is that he has more time to not waste sleeping."

Roxas glared balefully at his brother, his blue eyes bloodshot. "Then YOU share a room with him."

Cloud graced his younger brother with the faintest of smiles, a rarity that he only gave to his brothers or to Aeris. "I'm not insane." He replied calmly. "And I HAVE a roommate." Roxas gloomily stabbed another slice of ham, his fork sliding against the plate and squealing in a way that made his head throb. Wincing, he reached for his energy drink and downed the rest of it. "That stuff is going to kill you." Cloud informed him, shaking his head as he drank a glass of milk. "You're going to have a heart attack or something."

Roxas sighed. "At least I'd sleep." Crumpling the can, he threw it at the recycling bin and swore as it hit the rim and bounced toward a table nearby.

"Roxas!" Seifer Almasy glared at him from a table nearby. "Do you MIND?!" He demanded.

"Not really." Roxas got up slowly and glared at his main rival. "I'm just bummed it didn't hit you in the head."

Seifer opened his mouth, but was cut off by his friend, Rai. "You're just jealous, you know?!" The large young man glared at Roxas, tall and brooding, muscles rippling beneath his wife beater. "Because Seifer beat you out for the part, you know?!"

"Sore loser." Fujin agreed with a smug smile. Dainty and small, the silver-haired girl stood as Seifer's or Raijin's partner most of the time.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Are you high?" He asked flatly. "We're on VACATION. Why am I the only one who seems to get that?!" He demanded. "That show is over, Seifer." He replied scathingly. "And so is your hack version of Aladdin."

"WHAT did you just say to me, chicken wuss?!" Seifer demanded in a soft, dangerous voice.

Roxas put his face right next to Seifer's fearlessly. Honestly, he was in one of the worst moods of his life and no longer had any patience for Seifer and his idiocy. "I SAID…" he started, not really sure WHAT he was going to say. Probably something that would make Seifer take a swipe at him.

"Enough!" All of them snapped to attention as Cloud joined them, his usual stoic nature marred by a look of annoyance. He was an imposing figure, outweighing even Rai by nearly 30 pounds, his body tightly toned without even the slightest hint of fat. Golden hair stood up in its characteristic spikes, looking more deliberate than Roxas' own, which always stuck out to one side like he had just rolled out of bed. Blue eyes so like Roxas' own glared at them. Seifer opened his mouth, but Cloud held up a hand. "Cut the crap, Almasy." He advised. "I'm not in the mood. Unless you BOTH want to meet me in the practice room, I'd shut up."

Seifer's smoky blue eyes narrowed slightly. Though he was older than Cloud by two years, Cloud was the leader of their troupe, the star that they all struggled to be like. He had more talent in one finger than most performers did in their entire lives. "It's vacation, Hikari."

Cloud inclined his head coldly. "Then you won't want to waste the time screwing around." He agreed. "Unless you intend to lose the next part you try for." He looked hard at Roxas. "Stop picking fights." His voice was flat, calm but utterly authoritative. "You can't afford to mar that pretty face of yours with bruises."

Roxas felt his heart skip a beat at his brother's words. Though he sounded calm, Cloud had crossed from mildly annoyed to royally PISSED. Cloud only insulted him when he was furious. Analyzing his brother's mood, he took a step backward without thinking about it. "Yeah, yeah." He replied, as if backing off had been his idea all along. "I don't need you to fight my battles, Cloud." Damn. His mouth was going to get him into trouble one day.

Cloud snorted. "Right." He agreed darkly. "Just leave Seifer alone unless you want to do push-ups until you die." Turning, he walked back to their table, Aeris saying something that drained some of the tension out of his body. No longer in the mood for food (not that he had particularly wanted the food to begin with), Roxas turned and left the cafeteria, making his way to the stage. He could hear the sounds of stagehands busy talking as they began to take down the elaborate sets that had filled their month-long run of Arabian Nights.

The sound of laughter caught his attention and Roxas turned automatically toward the practice room. What was someone doing in there? Usually between shows, performers went home for a visit or did some sightseeing. Nobody practiced, at least not for the first few days. As he walked in and saw who it was, he sighed inwardly and wondered how he could have missed identification. Of course it was Sora.

Though they were twins, Sora and Roxas Hikari were as different as night and day. Cheerful where Roxas tended toward grumpiness, loud when Roxas was quiet, even their looks were opposite. Sora's spiky hair was a warm chocolate brown instead of the bright gold of Cloud or the darker gold of Roxas. Their eyes were the only thing all three boys shared, a bright sapphire blue. "Did you miss the memo about this being a VACATION?!" He demanded up at his brother.

Sora hung from a trapeze by his knees, swinging back and forth, blue eyes locked on Roxas. He smiled brilliantly at the sight of his twin. "Hey!" He greeted enthusiastically, waving a little. "Come on up!"

Roxas glared at the empty swings, then up at his brother. "Are you nuts?!" He demanded. "I'm not going up there…you come down here!" Roxas drew in a sharp breath as Sora straightened his legs, dropping gracelessly from the trapeze and landing in the safety net below. He wished Sora would do things normally sometimes, but then again…if he did that, Roxas knew he would miss his brother's performances. "Why were you up there?"

Sora shrugged. "I ate breakfast ages ago and figured I'd warm up for a while."

Roxas gave his brother a look as Sora slid just as gracelessly out of the net. "Why?"

Sora walked to a pile of shoes and a hoodie near the door and slipped the shirt over his bare chest. Picking up a brochure, he handed it to Roxas and beamed. "Because we got accepted!"

Roxas' eyes narrowed slightly but he took the brochure. "Who is 'we?'" He asked cautiously. His heart skipped a beat and then sunk down into his stomach as he looked at the brochure carefully. "International circus camp."

Sora beamed at him. "Yeah! Don't you think it's cool? It's a two-month thing and then we'll be free to compete in the International Circus Festival in Hollow Bastion!"

His heart sank into his knees. "So you signed…who up for this?!" He asked, paging through the brochure.

Honestly…he didn't know why he bothered asking, he could immediately tell by the look on his brother's face that Sora had done something thoughtless again. "Me. Cloud…you."

Roxas frowned. "And Cloud agreed to this?"

Sora looked away. "Well…no." he admitted. "I thought he didn't need the stress of it, he was too busy playing Sinbad...so I applied for him."

Roxas's heart slipped down to his feet. "This said we had to try out for it." He watched his brother squirm and wanted to pound his twin into the ground. "How did we try out for it?"

Sora smiled at him, half challenging, half anxious. "I had Olette tape the show." He admitted. "Focusing on your portrayal of Ali Baba and Cloud's work on the tightrope as Sinbad."

Of course he had. Because…of course he had. Sora had gotten an idiot idea into his head and had decided to just go ahead with it rather than talk to him or Cloud about it. And the worst part was…Roxas couldn't even get mad at him. The camp DID look exciting. They would get a chance to perform with new talent. He would be able to step away from Seifer before one of them beat the other to a pulp…and then they would be able to perform at the festival. Roxas had wanted to participate in the International Circus Festival since he was little and had watched their father and mother win in the videos Cloud had shown them. "You're serious." He demanded. "We'll get to participate? Do we compete, or are we just guests?"

Sora grinned at him, an easy, challenging grin that made Roxas' heart beat faster in response. They had gotten into trouble more than once because of that grin. "We'll get to compete." He confirmed. "This acceptance lets us both into the camp and then into the competition itself."

Roxas' mouth went dry and he found himself shaking. Without thinking about it, he began warm-up exercises, stretching down to hug his calves. "Why didn't you just talk to me about it?!" He demanded. "I wouldn't have stopped you…"

Sora flushed a little. "Honestly?" He asked hesitantly. "Seifer."

Roxas growled. "You think I'm afraid of a little competition?!" He demanded. "That hack couldn't make it to that festival."

Sora blinked at him. "Don't be stupid." He replied hotly. "I didn't hide it from you so that you didn't have to face competition." He looked at Roxas as if he had lost his mind. "I did it…so that nobody would know if we failed."

Roxas straightened slowly. "What?"

Sora looked away. "Let's say we failed to get in…not that I thought for a minute that it was even remotely possible…but say for a minute that we did…" He was babbling. Roxas immediately felt guilty. Of course Sora hadn't insulted him. His brother had full confidence in his abilities, Roxas knew that. Damn Seifer for getting into his head, making him question himself. Damn himself for letting him. "…I didn't want Seifer or anyone else to know. I figured I'd tell you guys about it later and we'd try to fix the problems for next year."

Roxas gave Sora a long look. "You say we." He commented again. "Did you sign us up as a group?" What the hell would they perform? They were three guys and only one of them was a decent flier.

Sora shook his head. "Nah. Had to put in three different applications."

Roxas scowled at his brother. "Then you could have gone…even if we hadn't."

Sora scowled in reply, a fierce look. "All for one." He shot back. "We go together or we don't go at all."

'We go together.' Roxas thought. Yes…Sora WOULD think that way…which meant that Roxas needed to focus harder. Sora would tie his star to his even if Roxas didn't want him to…which meant that Roxas would need to step up his own game to match him. Honestly, as far as motivation went…it wasn't a bad one and Roxas was glad to have it. He pressed his forehead against his twins' and closed his eyes at the contact. "You're right." He acknowledged. "We go together. When do we leave?"

0 0 0

"Welcome to Destiny Islands!" Riku Adachi looked sideways as he walked off of the boat and met the dark blue eyes of a cheerful redheaded girl. "I'm Kairi Sato. What's your name?"

Riku ignored her question and looked around. "I thought there was a town around here." He gazed up at a cliffside overlooking a perfect beach.

Kairi smiled at him, not seeming perturbed in the slightest that he hadn't given her his name. She clutched a clipboard to her chest, a slight, beautiful girl dressed in a leotard under a baggy pair of overalls. "There is, but it's across the water." She pointed. "That way. You'll need to take one of the rowboats we have here. It's not too far."

Riku paused and looked her over. Leotard but also clipboard. "Do you work here?"

Kairi smiled at him. "Yes, but I'm also one of the performers. I've been with Destiny Islands for years. This is the first year I got to perform myself though. I finally passed the audition."

Riku almost immediately dismissed her, though he had to admit that she was cute and her cheerful personality relaxed him in spite of himself. "How many times did you try out?"

Kairi's eyebrows rose slightly at his question and only then did Riku realize that his question may have been rude. Still, the question stood, he didn't bother to take it back. If it made him an enemy in this redhead…so be it. "Four before they finally accepted me." She admitted. "Every other year I was too young, still growing."

Riku's eyes fell to her chest and a smirk crossed his face before he had the sense to stop it. "I see. Afraid your tits would throw off your balance?"

He was surprised when Kairi's hand slashed out, a fist sinking into his gut. "I may look like a girl…" Kairi told him, tone hot but also conversational. "…but that doesn't mean you can talk to me like that. Now what's your name? Or should I just write you a nametag saying, 'Asshole?'"

Riku grinned in spite of himself. He would bruise a bit, but she had fire and he had to admire that. "It's…"

"RIKU!" Riku turned swiftly and saw a familiar figure coming off of a boat nearby, waving madly. Tall and lanky, the teen had long red hair, long enough to be caught in a ponytail but loose now. Unlike Kairi's dusky red, Axel Harada's hair was fiery. "Hey!"

Riku waved back, laughing in spite of himself as Axel didn't even bother with the greeter and his/her clipboard, jumping into the shallow surf to wade toward his dock. "It's Riku." He told Kairi, smiling slightly at her. "Riku Adachi." Striding forward to meet Axel, he reached down and helped the tall redhead onto the dock. "Axel! I didn't know you'd be here!"

"Hey! You're in room 6…" Kairi shouted at him as Riku and Axel began to walk away. Riku waved one hand in acknowledgement and heard her growl with annoyance under her breath. He grinned…it was going to be a good day.

"Of course I'm here…the Organization sent me as its rep…and I heard you were going to be here." Cat-like emerald eyes looked sideways at Riku. "And without that charming girl you were attached to a few months ago…what was her name again?"

Riku made a face at his friend. "Namine." He admitted. "No…she's not here." He looked over the island, inclining an eyebrow at the wooden boat, the little wooden shacks and ladders. It looked like a child's paradise…not at all what he was expecting from one of the top youth camps in the world.

Axel wouldn't let up…not that Riku had really expected him to…but he had been hoping. "So what happened to your lovely partner?" Axel asked silkily, smirking at the island. They rounded the beach and saw a massive building that had been hidden by the cliff, accompanied by a group of what appeared to be dorms around it.

Riku sighed, acknowledging defeat. He was stuck. Axel knew too much about him. "Two things, really." He admitted. "First, she hurt her shoulder…ripped a tendon. Second, she caught me in bed with you."

Axel roared with laughter and Riku had to smile in response. "Oh come on. She had to know you are gay." When Riku only shook his head, Axel laughed harder. "Aren't all male performers gay?" He demanded.

Riku snorted at the redhead's logic. "I don't think it works that way, Axel." He replied dryly. "Which would be why there are so many husband and wife pairs…"

Axel raised his hand dismissively. "Well she should have expected it anyway." He snorted. "It's a pity I didn't know she felt that way about you, I would have given her more of a show when she opened the door."

Riku laughed in spite of himself. That was why he loved Axel whenever they crossed paths…the redhead was vibrant, fiery, passionate and full of life. "I think she got enough of a look." He replied mildly. "How's the Organization?" He asked, glancing at his companion. "You get bored of it yet?"

Axel laughed. "Bored? Of the Organization?" He laughed again. "As if that could happen. Nah. We've got an actual setup now in Twilight Town. The whole show has a lot of sex appeal. We've got twelve members now, I was hoping to find someone new." He glanced down at Riku. "What about you, Riks? What the hell are YOU doing here? How the hell did they let you IN?"

Riku bristled more from the use of that stupid nickname than from Axel's question. "I haven't found a group yet." He admitted. "Still freelancing whenever someone pays enough to suit me." He paused. "…I'm actually here to find a partner."

Axel howled with laughter again. "After you permanently scar either figuratively or literally, EVERY partner you've ever had? You think someone's going to be stupid enough to want to work with you?"

Riku frowned. "There's talent here I haven't tapped yet." He replied defensively. "You act like I MEAN to hurt them. Like it's MY fault they can't keep up with me."

Axel smirked. "Isn't it?" He countered. "Look, Riks…I know you're good. Hot shit and all that…but you're going to have to find a partner and take the time to build them up. Work at their level for a while…otherwise you're doomed to be washed out as a performer who nobody would work with if they paid them an exorbitant amount of money."

Riku scowled at his friend. "I need a partner who is up to MY level." He replied coolly. "Not waiting around for them to…to ripen like some piece of fruit." He rolled his eyes. "I am what I am. I'll find someone who can work with me."

Axel snorted. "Just keep an open mind." He advised. "Or join a company or something." He paused. "So do you know any of the other names?" he asked casually. "Do we have to contend with your fan club?"

Riku grinned in spite of himself. "If by fan club you mean will we have to contend with a bunch of people who want me dead…probably." He sighed. "They're good enough to make it here but not good enough for me."

Axel rubbed his shoulder teasingly. "Oooh…he replied with amusement. "You really ARE hot shit. Riks, now I remember why I always miss you…" he kissed the top of Riku's head and Riku laughed. "…you're so humble."

"Humble people don't become performers." He countered, glancing at the dorms. "So what room are you in?"

Axel shrugged. "How the hell should I know?" He asked lightly. "I came right over to you when I saw you. I think someone yelled something at me, but I didn't really listen."

Riku laughed again. "Then come up with me and we'll figure it out." He glanced at the dorm and followed signs. "Room six…this one's me."

Opening the door, he stopped in surprise and eyed the short brunette boy who stopped what he was doing to look at him with the most remarkable blue eyes he had ever seen. At first glance, Riku pegged the boy for barely fourteen…but when he looked closer, he realized that the boy tended toward short but his muscle tone and the planes of his face spoke of late teens. Dark brown hair stood up all over his head in wild spikes that looked too soft to be gelled. Startled, the boy stared at them for a moment before a smile crossed his face. It was an easy smile that lit his eyes and it was obvious that the smile was a common expression. "Hi…are you…my roommate?"

Riku's eyebrows rose a little. Roommate? When was the last time that he had had a roommate? Bemused, he crossed the room and bent low, eyeing the boy intently, looking for the telltale edge of a contact. The boy stepped back, crossing well-toned arms over his chest. "Um…what are you doing?"

"Looking for contacts." Riku replied mildly, not seeming to care that he was obviously invading the boy's space. "You wear them right?"

"Um…no…"

Riku grinned at the tone in the boy's voice. "You mean they're NATURALLY that color? Seriously? Nobody's eyes are that color."

The boy narrowed those exceptional eyes and the uncertain expression on his face grew, but so did a hint of defensiveness. "What's that supposed to mean?!" He demanded. "Look at you, pretty boy! You have SILVER hair and eyes the color of the ocean. Your friend here…"He gestured to Axel, who watched them with a bemused expression on his face. "…has red hair that OBVIOUSLY came out of a bottle and really REALLY green eyes and you say MINE must be fake?"

Riku laughed, he couldn't help himself. There was something really fun about the fire in the boy's eyes. "Touché." He admitted. "But my hair…Axel's too, the last time I checked…are real too."

The boy only stared at him. "You ARE my roommate aren't you?"

Riku looked back at the number on the door and then grinned. "Yep." He confirmed and watched a strange mix of emotions cross the boy's face. "So who are you? Where are you from?"

The boy straightened slightly. "I'm Sora." He paused. "From Traverse Town."

Traverse Town…Riku had never heard of it and almost without thinking, he dismissed the boy. Good enough to get here, but from nowhere important. "I'm Riku." He glanced at the boy, expecting a gasp or excitement. He was met with a blank, polite stare. "Really? You don't know who I am?"

Axel began to laugh as the puzzled look on Sora's face only grew. "Someone who DOESN'T know the Great and Powerful Riku?" He slapped Riku on the back. "I told you that you were too full of yourself, Riks."

"Yo…you're not a door. Get out of the way." Riku turned slightly as Axel stepped back to allow another boy to enter the room. This one had dusky gold hair but it spiked up on one side and he had the same blue eyes. Though he was slightly taller and slimmer, it was obvious that these two were brothers. Twins, maybe? If not, they were within a year apart. The blond gave them a long look before snorting. "So the circus is definitely in town. And you two…are the clowns?"

Riku's mouth dropped open. "What do you mean?"

The blond snorted. "That hair. It's too long and weird colors. And those marks on your face…" He motioned to Axel. "So you two are clowns right?" He gave them a long look. "Can you make me laugh?"

Axel was laughing again, shaking his head. "Probably not. I'd like to make you scream though…"

The blond flushed slightly. "Like you could." He replied dismissively, shaking his head. "Why are you in my brother's room?"

Sora bit his lip lightly. "Roxas, don't be rude…" He motioned to Riku. "…this is my roommate…Riku."

Well…maybe Sora didn't know anything about him, but apparently his brother did. Awareness flashed in Roxas' eyes, which narrowed ever so slightly. "I see. Well whatever. Come on, Sora…let's get something to eat and explore."

"Right!" Sora jumped slightly as he crossed the room. He glanced at Riku and Axel. "See you guys." He paused. "I'm looking forward to working with you."

"You too, beautiful!" Axel called back, making both boys turn to look back at them. Twins. Riku was sure of it now, they wore the same look on their faces, a look that made him chuckle. Axel turned to Riku and smiled wickedly. "I think I'll have fun this summer."

0 0 0

Cloud let himself into the room assigned to him after taking the time to check out the facilities. State-of-the-art, which he had expected. There were some pieces of equipment that he was looking forward to playing on and so many different practice rooms that he doubted there would be a lot of competition for the equipment. That would be a pleasant change. He had sized up most of the people he had passed and was genuinely pleased by the level of talent. It looked like finding a new partner for the summer might not be too difficult.

He paused in the doorway and didn't speak as he took in the figure putting a pillow on one of the beds. Tall and lithe, the young man wasn't as young as his brothers but closer to his own age. Dark brown hair hung long over a chiseled face. He must have made a noise, because the young man turned and a pair of gray eyes met his own. "Hey."

Cloud nodded his reply as he walked in. "I guess I'm your roommate." He told the young man quietly, getting a nod of acknowledgement in reply. Cloud paused. Usually the people he was with were happy to converse, allowing him to be quiet. This new roommate didn't seem to be doing that, seemed to be happy being silent and that made him feel awkward. "I'm…Cloud."

"Leon." Leon turned slightly. "Squall really…Squall Leonhart…but everyone calls me Leon."

Cloud waited for a while but again, it appeared as though Leon had no interest whatsoever in talking. The silence grew between them, growing more and more awkward until Cloud would do almost anything to make it stop. "I'm from Traverse Town."

Leon nodded once. "I've seen one of the shows there." He replied quietly. "When I was a child. It was…Swan Lake I think. Performed by the Hikaris."

Cloud flushed, pleased by this. "My parents."

There was a flash of surprise from the bed beside his. "I wondered but wasn't sure." He paused. "Your mother…had eyes like yours." Leon paused for a minute. "I'm from Hollow Bastion."

Cloud blinked at him. "Are you part of the troupe there, or freelance?"

"Freelance." Leon paused. "I'm hoping to get a spot there." He paused and looked over at Cloud. "So what's your specialty?"

Cloud shrugged. "Trapeze…tightrope most recently."

Leon nodded. "You didn't look like a tumbler."

For some reason, this made Cloud flush slightly. How closely had Leon looked at him? And why did that make him feel so…strange? "Neither do you." He paused. "My brothers are."

Leon inclined one eyebrow. "Brothers? Are they here too?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. They're twins. Sora…and Roxas. Sora was the one who sent in our audition tape."

Leon nodded once. "Yeah…I saw it. Yours."

Cloud blinked. "Really? How?"

Leon smiled slightly. "Kairi showed me."

"The…girl at the docks?" Was this Leon's girlfriend? Partner? Why did that bother him?

Leon nodded. "Yeah. She's my kid sister's best friend. Comes over all the time." He paused. "She thought I'd want to see my roommate's tape."

"Why would she do that?" Cloud asked, not quite brave enough to ask what Leon had thought about his performance.

Leon shrugged. "Crush maybe." He looked entirely uninterested. "What you did on that stage was really unique. I've never seen someone fighting on stage like that. Fake fighting all the time…but those sparked like real weapons."

Cloud flushed slightly. "They were." He admitted. "Sora…thought it would be a fun idea."

Leon smiled slightly. "It was." He agreed. "Inspired." He paused. "I'm looking forward to working with you."

Cloud paused. "I doubt you will." And for some reason, this bothered him a little. "We have the same specialty."

Leon looked serene. "We'll figure something out."


End file.
